Taking the cycling ‘Traffic Test’ of my childhood again

Sometimes all your personal interests come beautifully together. If you follow me for a while, you will know that I am very fond of before and after images. I love documenting change. On top of that, I like history, and obviously, cycling. Recently, I stumbled upon pictures in the Utrecht archive depicting the route of the so-called ‘Practical Traffic Exam’ in Utrecht in the 1970s. Immediately, I had to think back to my own test that I took in 1977.

The Utrecht Mariaplaats was still a parking lot in 1977. The pump had been replaced in 1975. The Zadelstraat (straight-on) was still a bus route! All of this has been pedestrianised and since Covid it is also no longer possible to cycle here (only in the mornings).

I was 11 years old in April 1977. From August of that year, I would go to secondary school by bicycle. To make it safer for Dutch children to cycle to school, they receive traffic safety lessons from a young age. In the final year of primary school (which is usually within walking distance), most children have the opportunity to participate in a “practical traffic exam,” also known as a riding test. They take this test because shortly after, they will start going to secondary school by bicycle. The first of these tests was conducted as far back as 1932. One of my earlier posts was about this children’s cycling traffic test in 2010. I showcased my own route to school in 2011.

In Utrecht, an organisation called the “Fietsmeesters” (Cycle Masters) organises the “practical traffic exams”. Since 2016 there are eight routes in different parts of Utrecht. According to the Fietsmeesters that is better: “Because when children take the practical traffic exam in their own environment – where their lives largely take place – they become more proficient on the bike more quickly and they get to know their own neighbourhood best.” The eight routes vary in length, but most are around 4 kilometres long. There is no longer a route in the city centre, where I took my test. In my days the route was much shorter, but we had to cycle to the centre first – with the entire class  – and also back again after we took the test. In my case an extra roundtrip of 7.5 kilometres. I think it was better that I did not do the test in my own neighbourhood. Although I lived in one of the then newer city expansions my new school was in the city centre and I had never cycled there before. Obviously the city centre was quite different from my own – much safter – neighbourhood, especially in those days. It was good I practised riding in the city centre with my father, to prepare for the test.

Fietsmeesters is an organisation that is part of “SportUtrecht,” which is a part of “Goedopweg.” Goedopweg is a collaboration between the province of Utrecht, the municipalities of Utrecht and Amersfoort, and two national governmental bodies: Rijkswaterstaat and the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management. Fietsmeesters organise the traffic tests in collaboration with Veilig Verkeer Nederland (VVN), a traffic safety organisation. VVN does receive some criticism for focusing solely on education. In 2000, they absorbed the successor of “Stop de Kindermoord”, but that was a forced merger, and their activist voice was heard less and less. In 2013, a new organisation called MENSenSTRAAT (Streets for all) was formed to again embrace the lost ideals of getting authorities to change the living environment to make our society safer for children.

Getting ready to take the test. A police officer checked if the bicycle met the legal requirements of working brakes and lights etc. This was all very exiting for children at the age of 12. (The circa 1980 picture is from the Utrecht Archives.)

The effectiveness of VVN’s work was investigated, and some of it, such as trying to change people’s behavior in neighbourhood programs, does not have a lasting or even measurable impact. One critic wrote about these programs: “That they are not very effective is not surprising: it is widely known that road safety requires an approach based on the 3 E’s: Engineering (infrastructure), Education (and awareness), and Enforcement, with good infrastructure always serving as the foundation.” (Wildervanck) “When organisations like VVN solely focus on education and ignore the potential of infrastructure and enforcement, they cannot expect miracles, not even small ones. The assumption that residents themselves cause traffic hazards in their own neighbourhood and that they can therefore solve it together sounds nice, but it’s not that simple.”

The intersection Oudegracht and Lange Viestraat. The route required a left turn here. Before, there was a traffic light. Now there is only an unregulated crossing. The Oudegracht looks much less like car space now than it did before.

Secondly, VVN is accused (particularly by Verkade and Te Brömmelstroet in their book The Right of the Fastest) of thinking and speaking from the perspective of the car. As a result, children have to adapt their behavior to that car. Thirdly, VVN is also one of the few organisations in the Netherlands that advocates the use of bicycle helmets, which many in the Netherlands see as detrimental to our unique cycling culture. It is considered blaming the victim. In this respect, it is shocking to learn that over the years, a spokesperson, a director, and the chairman of VVN were caught speeding. In 1995, 2002, and 2009, respectively. In reverse order, this led to a resignation, a dismissal, and nothing at all.

But back to the test. With the help of the historic pictures (and my memory), I was able to reconstruct the Utrecht city center route from 1977. I rode it again as much as possible (Utrecht changed considerably; it is not even allowed or possible to cycle everywhere I could cycle in 1977.) I did – carefully – cycle in pedestrian space, but that would have been a certain failure of the test! In the video, I show the old pictures juxtaposed to the current situation, and I try to explain in the narration what you see. These old pictures were meant for children and their families so that they could prepare for the test. I was delighted to find out that the Fietsmeesters website still offers pictures to do just that for all eight current routes. Earlier, Filmende Fietser cycled all the current routes to film them. I will give you links to all of his videos that have not been watched enough considering the amount of work that took. Finally, I made a map with the eight current routes and my own route from 1977.

Videos by Filmende Fietser of the current 8 routes: Vleuten – De Meern; Leidsche Rijn; Noordoost; Noordwest; Overvecht; Oost; Zuid and Zuidwest.

The 8 current routes of the Cycling Test in Utrecht and the black one in the centre is my own route from 1977 that no longer exists but which I cycled for this week’s video.

How – 46 years later – I failed the traffic test that I passed as a child.